


Tea and Cakes

by remi_wolf



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: (only very vaguely though), Assassination Attempt(s), Attempted Murder, Betrayal, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Implied/Referenced Assassination Attempts, Implied/Referenced Racism, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Poisoning, Politics, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Running Away, Tea Parties, Whump, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27159770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remi_wolf/pseuds/remi_wolf
Summary: Finally, after years of begging to entreat with Count Gloucester, the man has finally agreed to meet with Claude. At such a time as this, with the Empire growing ever stronger and the pressure against the Alliance towards the capital of Derdriu, Claude needs all of the help he can possibly get. Hopefully, with Lorenz at his side to assist in pleading his case, he can convince Gloucester to assist. Of course, that is assuming that he's able to make his case at all, and the man that hated him since he set foot in Derdriu doesn't make an attempt on his life.Whumptober Day 22: Do These Tacos Taste Funny To You? Prompt: Poisoned
Relationships: Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29
Collections: Beguilements and Distractions, Remi's Whumptober Collection for 2020, Whumptober 2020





	Tea and Cakes

“Thank you for the invitation, Count Gloucester,” Claude murmured, a small smile on his face as he bowed to Lorenz’s father, glancing at Lorenz for a moment before making his way towards the subdued table. Why had the Count agreed to tea? After nearly five years of ignoring any and all of his missives? Still, Claude was here, and he needed the soldiers and resources of Gloucester County behind him if he wanted to continue to fight against the Empire with any strength at all. Gloucester was close enough to the Empire and to the Myrddin Bridge that he couldn’t risk them falling at all. They had to be locked and in step with the rest of the Alliance, even if Count Gloucester refused to look at him like a human and not like an insightful lizard that crawled across his silk shoes. 

Gloucester had the same look on his face still, even as he extended a hand to the other side of the table and sat down. “It’s a pleasure to have the distinguished Duke Riegan join my humble table in such a lowly county.”

Claude blinked for a moment, glancing over at Lorenz for a moment before looking back at the Count. “County Gloucester is one of the most important regions of the Alliance, Your Lordship. I would never call such an important region lowly, especially not with such leaders as yourself and Lorenz.”

Lorenz smiled faintly, and the Count hummed softly before carefully pouring the tea into the three delicate bone china cups. The subtle spice of the Almyran Pine tea tickled Claude’s nose, and he couldn’t help the slightly surprised look on his face as he added a touch of sugar to it. 

“I hope the tea is to your liking. Lorenz informed me that you enjoyed this particular blend while you were in school together.”

“I did. I’m shocked that he remembered such a small detail, however I don’t know why I would be. He’s always so attentive to the most valuable of details. I’ve rather missed them over the past few years in Derdriu, however I would never dream of taking him away from his position here.” Claude glanced over at Lorenz for a moment before sipping at his tea, sighing softly at the flavor of it. It was pleasant, and Claude wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn if Lorenz was the one to brew it. 

“And we appreciate that.” Count Gloucester nodded slightly before sipping his tea as well, reaching towards the plate of pastries and setting one on his plate. Lorenz seemed to be just as eagerly grabbing a few of the prized pastries as well.

With the sign that they seemed to be safe enough to eat, Claude grabbed one as well. One of the few varieties looked to be similar to the flaky pastries that the school made that he had loved so much. The fact that Lorenz had even remembered which pastries he liked as well was shocking. He would have to properly thank him when the meeting was over, but for now, he could simply enjoy the pastry, even if he didn’t take a bite immediately. 

“I do wish to apologize, Your Lordship, but I do have business to attend to as well, if you would be so kind as to entreat with me.”

Count Gloucester sighed, a small smile on his face as he sipped his tea before he nodded. “Of course. I had expected this, after all, and I would be more than happy to hear your offer.” 

Claude nodded slightly, taking a small nibble of the pastry before sipping his tea momentarily, a slight frown crossing his lips. Almond. Odd. He had expected rose, not almond. Perhaps Lorenz had forgotten that he didn’t care for almond at all, but he’d speak about that to him in private, instead of in front of his father here. 

“I presume that you’re aware of the strength of the Empire breathing down our necks. I wished to travel to discuss where you stand in terms of the Alliance and where your loyalties lie. I know we are all in a difficult position, but..." Claude trailed off, frowning slightly as the world lurched out from under him. Odd, to have such a sudden dizzy spell. Still, he needed to continue. An illness wouldn’t stop the Empire, and he couldn’t risk Count Gloucester realizing such weakness. “But I wanted to...to..." 

Claude trailed off again, a surge of panic rushing through his system. As the world spun out from underneath him again, even as he kept a palm flat on the table, as well as his feet on the ground, he realized that something was far worse than a simple, sudden illness. Already his fingertips were getting numb, and that wasn’t a good sign, and the world was swimming and shrinking to a pinpoint of light.

“Oh, Duke Riegan, are you feeling poorly? How awful,” Count Gloucester said, a small grin on his face, not moving except to sip at the tea. 

The pastry. The pastry was poisoned. The almond flavor. 

Claude stood up, needing to get as far away from Gloucester as possible. He took a few steps away from the table, trying to get away from the man. There was the sound of porcelain shattering, and Claude wasn’t sure whether that was his fault, or if it was Lorenz as the man stood and tried to walk over to him. The world still spun around him, and while Claude closed his eyes to at least get that to stop, it didn’t mean that he was any better able to stay on his feet, stumbling against a rug before he fell, barely catching himself as his head hit the floor. 

“Lorenz, please deal with the rat.”

“Father!”

Lorenz.”

Claude took a shaking breath, curling tight on the floor as everything went black, pulling him into a deep void.

* * *

So his consistent and mild poisoning of himself hadn’t been for nothing. 

Claude still ached, his stomach stabbed with pain, but that was just as likely from not eating over however many days that he had been unconscious as it was from his poisoning. He groaned quietly after a moment, forcing his eyes open as he looked around the room. Unfamiliar, but without the purple and rose motif that he knew of Count Gloucester. Rather, golden wings against deep green cloth filled the room to keep it warm, and Claude frowned for a moment. At least he wasn’t a prisoner of Gloucester, but that didn’t entirely answer the question of where he had been taken, as dazed and confused as he still felt.

“House Daphnel, the Daphnel estate. Other than Acheron or perhaps Ordelia, they are the house closest in territory to Gloucester. And their estate is closest to ours, as well. Ideal for getting you somewhere safe.”

Claude frowned for a moment before looking up to see Lorenz sitting there, looking more ragged than he could ever remember seeing him. No fine doublets or hose, no jackets or vests. Just his shirt and simple trousers, and Claude just looked at him, taking in this appearance than the finely-crafted appearance he usually saw. He doubted anyone had seen him in such a state of undress, except for his most personal of servants. Why had he been given that privilege?

Lorenz sniffed when Claude didn’t respond to that, glancing away to look at the warped glass of the window instead. “You scared me.”

“Apologies for thinking that your father wouldn’t risk poisoning you,” Claude murmured, wincing as his voice grated against his throat, and he looked around before finding a glass of water and sipping at it. 

“I didn’t know.”

“I didn’t say you did, Lorenz.”

“I would have stopped you, had I known. I should have realized he was plotting something when he was so receptive to your requests.” Lorenz frowned, leaning forward before standing up and walking over to Claude’s side, settling down next to him on the bed and helping Claude sit up. The assistance was unexpected, but Claude didn’t mind as it meant that he was better able to sip at the water sitting up than trying to balance it as he laid down. And Lorenz was warm, helping to chase away the chill from the past few days. He couldn’t argue that the warmth wasn’t unwanted, either.

“How long was I out?”

Lorenz sighed softly, shrugging. “Two, almost three days.”

Claude hummed softly before almost laughing softly. “Not as bad as I thought it would be.”

Lorenz rolled his eyes before slowly reaching up to brush a hand through Claude’s hair, carefully pulling away when he encountered a bit of a rat’s nest of curls. “I can’t believe that you survived that though. I...my father usually doesn’t make mistakes with poisons.”

“And I spent my childhood worried about assassinations and built up resistances to most poisons under the sun, Lorenz,” Claude murmured, huffing a quiet laugh before he looked up at Lorenz. “Thank you for getting me here.”

“Of course.” Lorenz sighed before nodding. “Of course I’d get you here. And of course you’d have some sort of stupid immunity to my father’s poisons.”

Claude nodded, offering Lorenz a small smile before turning to press a kiss to his lips, before he could think better of it. “Thank you, again.”

Lorenz blinked at Claude before smiling and kissing Claude in return.

**Author's Note:**

> Aww, this one actually has a bit of a happy ending, isn't that nice! At first it was going to be an accidental poisoning, but then I thought it would be so nice to have Count Gloucester be an even worse person than necessary, and figured it would be a wonderful way to bring Claude and Lorenz together. Hopefully you enjoy this! Comments are always welcome!


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